Halloween Ends concluded David Gordon Green's reboot trilogy of the iconic franchise, but some of its controversial moments created both plot holes and retcons, some of which did not sit right with viewers. Set 4 years after Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends made some ambitious narrative choices, particularly in foregrounding Halloween newcomer Corey Cunningham and reducing the role of the iconic serial killer, Michael Myers. The result was a change of the status quo in the Halloween franchise, with some moments that made sense but were still surprising, and others that were frustratingly vague, creating plot holes in the process.
The primary complaints about Halloween Ends revolved around the absence and nerfing of Michael Myers, as well as the lack of resolution of whether he is supernatural or not. However, Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode also changed significantly in this movie, and while her move past Michael Myers represented welcome character growth, Haddonfield's sudden turn against her was a head-scratcher to say the least. Unsurprisingly, it was the franchise's two most famous characters, and the retcons around their personalities and abilities, that created the movie's most puzzling plot holes.
Why Wasn’t Michael Myers Hunted Down After Halloween Kills?
Michael Myers was at his most powerful and brutal prior to Halloween Ends, decimating an entire mob of angry Haddonfield residents led by Tommy Doyle and even killing Laurie's daughter, Karen Nelson, mounting to 34 deaths by the end of Halloween Kills. Yet, four years later in Halloween Ends, there were no allusions towards Michael being hunted down by the police force or even the remnants of the angry mob. This could feasibly be explained as Michael scaring the town into halting their pursuit of him, but given how major the mob who shouted "evil dies tonight" were to Halloween Kills' story, it seemed strange to find Michael living in the Haddonfield sewer system without being hunted down by its vengeful residents in Halloween Ends.
Why Did The Town Blame Laurie For Michael Myers’ Rampage?
One of the least compelling plot points introduced in Halloween Ends was how Laurie Strode was alienated by Haddonfield and even her granddaughter Allyson, and Corey Cunningham. Several residents berated Laurie, including Corey's mother and the sister of Sondra (one of Michael's victims in Halloween Kills whose survival after his brutal assault was somewhat puzzling itself). Their argument was that Laurie's obsession with Michael and desire to take him out herself in Halloween 2018 somehow "provoked" the William Shatner masked killer, leading to the massacre of many of the townspeople in Halloween Kills. Needless to say, this was a ludicrous narrative that did not really work. Despite the hysteria caused by Michael, it seemed unlikely that in the real world, the people of Haddonfield would see Laurie as anything other than another of the Shape's victims, not an instigator.
Does Michael Myers Have Supernatural Powers Or Not?
Many Halloween viewers were eagerly awaiting Halloween Ends and a definitive answer to one of the longest-standing mysteries in the franchise: is Michael Myers a supernatural being? Unfortunately, while further hints suggested yes, no definitive answer was ever given. The film showed Michael seemingly transferring his evil into Corey Cunningham and being "revived" by killing, suggesting, for the first time, that Michael was actually powered by murdering people. Yet, Gordon Green left much of this up to interpretation, when many were expecting a clearer answer. This retcon that Myers was seemingly powered by killing also created a plot hole, as surely he would have been at full power after his massacre at the end of Halloween Kills. Instead, Halloween Ends presented Michael as being weaker than ever, even needing Corey's help to kill.
Michael Myers Teaming Up With Corey (& Getting Bossed Around)
Some longtime Halloween fans took issue with how Michael was treated in Halloween Ends, particularly as a much younger and brand-new character not only took center stage but also pushed the iconic serial killer around like a schoolyard bully. Michael's transfer of evil into Corey then turned into the two working together, something Michael had never done in any of Halloween's many timelines, over forty years of movies. Furthermore, Corey's dismissive attitude and his overpowering of Michael and stealing the Shape's iconic mask was also a retcon, as no film before Halloween Ends had ever shown Michael being so weak and disrespected. Previous versions of Michael would have never worked with another killer or been pushed around so easily, making Halloween Ends the most controversial movie in the franchise to some viewers.
Michael Myers’ Definitive Death In Halloween Ends
One of Halloween Ends' most shocking moments was the townsfolks' killing of Michael Myers once and for all, blending his body in a meat grinder so that nothing remained to be revived. Michael had been "definitively" dead a few times in prior movies, such as when Laurie Strode decapitated him at the end of Halloween H20 and when Donald Pleasence's Dr. Loomis blew both himself and Michael up at the end of Halloween II. However, Michael was retconned to survive both these instances. Halloween Resurrection revealed that Michael had swapped his body with that of a medic in H20 and Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers showed that Michael had been in a coma and had not actually died of his burn wounds in Halloween II. Yet, by showing Michael's face unmasked as he was shredded into nothing but a bloody pulp, Halloween Ends finally gave Michael a definitive death that is seemingly impossible to come back from in this continuity.
Laurie Strode Is Finally Allowed To Move Past Michael Myers
In Halloween Ends, Laurie moved past Michael as a major obstacle in her life twice. The first time made little sense, as Laurie was shown to finally be living a seemingly normal life after the events of Halloween Kills. Yet, just as it made no sense that the Halloween Kills Haddonfield mob did not go after Michael following his massacre, this character change was problematic. Laurie had devoted her entire life to killing Michael Myers, destroying her relationships, and becoming an alcoholic in the process. Yet, when Michael killed her own daughter, she for some reason decided to give up and focus on becoming a functioning member of society again. While it was satisfying to see Laurie move on, it was a pretty major plot hole given how Laurie had been characterized as an obsessive avenger in Halloween and Halloween Kills.
However, after finally killing Michael, Laurie's ability to move past the Shape and rekindle her relationship with Officer Frank Hawkins felt earned. Yet, even this moment of character development was a retcon of sorts, as Laurie had previously been unable to move past Michael Myers. The original timeline made it unclear whether Laurie ever moved on, as she was killed offscreen before the events of Halloween 4. However, the H20 timeline showed that Laurie could not move past the events of John Carpenter's Halloween 1978 as she had become an alcoholic and was haunted by the image of Michael. Equally, Rob Zombie's Halloween remake duology showed Scout Taylor Compton's Laurie take a downward spiral into insanity due to the events of Halloween 2007, eventually ending up in an asylum. Halloween Ends was thus the first movie to give Laurie a truly happy ending. Halloween Ends made some bold choices, some created plot holes, and others were retcons, but all made sure that the film will be talked about by Halloween fans for years.